


Still People

by zap_trap



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Bounty, Cole - Freeform, Fights, Identity Reveal, Jay - Freeform, Kai - Freeform, Lego, Ninjago, Nya - Freeform, Secret Identity, Zane - Freeform, lego ninjago - Freeform, lloyd - Freeform, some blood, somewhere i think, theres a plot?, uhhh idek where this is going
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-24
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:09:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24895945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zap_trap/pseuds/zap_trap
Summary: In the aftermath of the reign of Lord Garmadon, Ninjago is left in ruins. Everyone pitches in, and pieces their home together. The Ninja, feeling bad that some of the damage was their fault, decide to hold a raffle fundraiser in which six random people get chosen to spend three days with them on the Bounty. When the lucky six arrive, they expect people who are either very egotistical or super heroic.What they do see is completely different from what they imagined.
Relationships: Nya/Jay Walker
Comments: 14
Kudos: 45





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome!  
> Thanks for giving this story a chance!  
> Some things you may need to know:  
> \- The Movieverse and Showverse cross.  
> \- The events of Skybound are not forgotten.  
> \- The Ninja's identities are hidden.  
> \- The Police and the Ninja don't work together- in facts, they're very against each other.  
> \- The name at the top of the chapter is the point of view for the chapter.  
> Enjoy!

William Cooper was preparing his teaching material for his High School class. After all, schools were reopening next week, and he needed his lesson notes to be perfect. It was always hard, coming back to school after a disaster like this. Children may have lost someone close to them, and it was important that they were not put under too much pressure straight away. 

With this in mind, he sighed and opened his email to ask a colleague if they should just give them the first week off.

And then he saw the message.

»»————- ♦ ————-««

_And there!_

Peggy Mann thought with a satisfied grin as she hit publish. She was the writer of a fairly popular blog about the Ninja, and had finally finished her article on the recent battle. Some people called her writing "conspiracy theories." She called them "unveiled secrets." The minute she was sure the article loaded, she immediately went and checked her email for the millionth time today.

_Why hadn't they replied yet?_

Today was the day she had been waiting for. It was her chance to get the biggest scoop in the history of Ninjago, a journalists dream. Looking into the lives of the Ninja. _Who were they? How old were they? Where did they live?_ All questions everyone wanted to know-

_Ding!_ Her inbox chimed. As she read the email, her smile grew exponentially.

And all questions that would soon be answered.

»»————- ♦ ————-««

Dalton Pickett was very skeptical.

_How dare they claim to "save the city" when their mere existence brings danger?_ he questioned angrily as he rebuilt his house for the second time in the past year.

As a police officer, he was trained to be wary of the super-powered vigilantes. As a husband who lost his wife when his apartment collapsed by the Colossus, he was frustrated. From a logical standpoint, trying to gain control of the Colossus was the best thing they could have done. From an emotional view, it took away the love of his life.

So when he heard that the police force was pulling some strings to get someone inside the Ninja to gain information, he was quick to sign up. Unlike the hundreds of others who had entered the raffle, his spot on the Destiny's Bounty was guaranteed, so he wasn't surprised when he received the conformation email. He was determined.

He would get some information out of them if it was the last thing he did.

»»————- ♦ ————-««

"May! Morgan! Stop throwing your cereal at each other, for goodness sake!" Sierra Benson yelled at her six year old twins from across the kitchen while trying to the dishes.

"Mom, have you seen my sneakers?" her ten year old son, Peter, yelled from the kitchen doorway.

"I don't know honey, have you checked under your be- n _o Morgan don't you dare put that cheerio up your nose-_ "

"I checked there already."

" _No May cheerios do not belong in your ears either._ Have you checked in the living room Peter? That's where you took them off two days ago."

"Found them, thanks!"

"Mommy can we get an alpaca?"

"What? No, we cannot get an alpaca!"

"But if we got an alpaca I'd name him Gerald!"

"We are _not_ getting an alpaca!"

And in the middle of this mess, Sierra's phone pinged. She sighed as she dried her hands off and reached to grab it. _I really need a break,_ she thought as she unlocked her phone, expecting a text reminding her to do something.

Instead, she received a ticket to the break she desperately needed.

»»————- ♦ ————-««

Taio Woodward kept his head down as he tried to discreetly walk out of school.

Too bad it didn't work.

"Hey, _Squidward!_ Going home to play with your dolls?"

"They're figurines." He mumbled under his breath as he walked past, trying to ignore the taunts thrown at him. The funny thing was, they didn't even make sense! They were just stupid plays of his name! He sped off school grounds as fast as possible, and sighed as he walked up his driveway.

He comments started when people discovered his obsession with all things Ninja related. **[Psh, please. you haven't met the fandom.]** And as much as he denied it and pushed the thing that made him happy away, they didn't stop. So he tried to be as secretive as possible when he decided to enter the raffle. And today he would find out if he had gotten in.

After yelling a quick "Hi Mom!" and petting the cat, he ran up to his room and checked his email, fingers clacking furiously against the keyboard.

And what he saw made up for every mean thing ever said to him.

»»————- ♦ ————-««

By the time Luis Rivera was able to take a break, his body was already sore.

You would think after having rebuilt the city again and again, he'd be used to it, right? Wrong. Each time a new villain decided to attack, the city was destroyed. Each time it was destroyed, it took all the construction workers in Ninjago to get it back together, including him.

_I wonder what would happen if I really did win the raffle,_ he wondered as he chugged down a bottle of water. Months ago, one of his colleagues dared him to enter the Ninja Raffle after asking him what he would do if he won.

"I'd give them a piece of my mind. Tell them how hard we have to work to get the city back on it's feet," he had said.

_Sure, he was grateful that they weren't being ruled by an evil overlord being, but did they have to cause so much destruction? Just lead the fight away, right?_ he thought as he carelessly opened his phone to check some email he had received. His eyes widened as he reread the message multiple times to make sure.

Apparently he would get a chance to tell them after all.

»»————- ♦ ————-««


	2. Peggy

"Whoa," Peggy breathed as she walked up to the docks. The famous Destiny's Bounty was docked, and the others were already standing there. There was a teenage boy who was staring at the ship, wide eyed and jaw unhinged. There were also three men making polite conversation and a middle aged lady on her phone. Peggy stayed back and gazed at the magnificent ship. It was red and gold, with three huge masts with ginormous sails, all lifted up.

 _For vigilantes, they've sure got some high tech stuff,_ she thought as an old man with a long white beard walked down to the dock.

"Hello," he greeted. "My name is Wu, and welcome to the Destiny's Bounty! Please follow me inside."

Everyone walked in as the old man led them onto the ship, where they found themselves standing on a huge deck.

"I thought the Ninja were supposed to be here?" she asked, switching to investigative mode.

"Yes, they were. Unfortunately, they had to take care of something. I expect they'll be back shortly- ah, here they are." Everyone turned their heads to see the Ninja walking up onto the ship and they were... _bleeding?_

"Hey Master Wu," the red one greeted casually. "We took care of the rogue SoG, but they got a few hits in."

"A few?!" the lady gasped in a very mom-like voice. "You're _bleeding_!!"

"This is normal miss, you don't need to worry," the green once said as he came up to them. "Hi! Welcome to our home that may or my not have been destroyed more times that we would have liked! For the next three days, you'll be staying with us and explore what we do."

Peggy was taken aback for a second. Judging from their voices and bodies, the Ninja appeared to be just...teenagers. _They were her age!_ she thought incredulously, not knowing whether to feel bad for them or concerned that the fate of their entire world rested in the hands of superpowered children.

As the Green Ninja finished speaking, they heard a thud. Everyone turned towards the noise to see what it was, only to see that the boy had dropped his bag and who's eyes were practically falling out of their sockets.

"You- you're the Green Ninja-" he said in a whisper. Green chuckled and nodded.

"While you're here, there are some things you need to remember. One, please don't take photos or record anything you see or hear on here. Two, we take keeping out identities secret very seriously, so don't even try to look for any personal information. You can call us Green, Red, Blue, Earth, Water, and Ice. Lastly, please feel at home here. We may be scary, but trust me, we don't bite. Welcome onboard! If you could please wait here for a second, we'll clean up and give you a tour of the place." Green said quickly and then turned and headed in side, the other ninja following.

Peggy, completely ignoring the speech, proceeded to take out her camera and her notepad. _Ninja are teenagers,_ she scribbled in and tried to take a photo or two of the deck before the grandpa caught her.

"Please refrain from taking photos or recording personal information. My students do have lives outside of being ninja and would like to keep them as normal as possible."

"Of course! Definitely! I'm sorry," she apologized quickly, not wanting to be on the bad side of the most powerful people in Ninjago, literally.

"Alright people, let's get started!" Earth yelled from a doorway. "Follow me!"

He led them through different rooms, pointing out important ones like the kitchen and bathroom and even showed them their shared bedroom (!!!), but skipping others. When Peggy asked what those doors were, he just said "that's classified." Peggy made a mental note to try and see what was there, but by the looks of one of the adult men, he noted those down too.

Through the tour, Peggy kept trying to discreetly get information. As an aspiring journalist, she needed to be able to display information-gathering skills. Unfortunately, she apparently wasn't as discreet as she thought, because she was pulled aside by Earth the minute the tour was over.

"Okay, Ms. Mann, I need to know what you're trying to do." he hissed. Peggy tried to act dumb.

"Miss who? Me?" _Dang, not that dumb!_

"You're the only other one in this room," he replied with a raised eyebrow.

"Okay, yes, that's me. What can I do for you?" Peggy replied sweetly.

"Why are you trying to dig into our personal lives? Do you know what could happen if anyone found out our identities? Our families and the people we love would be in danger. We keep our lives a secret to protect others, and when we take a risk and invite six people on board, we're trusting that you will acknowledge that there are some things that must be secret and respect that. What you're trying to do, that's not okay."

Peggy blinked for a second. She actually had not thought of all of that.

"I'm sorry Mr. Earth, I didn't think about it like that," she confessed. "I've always wanted to be a journalist when I grow up, and I though of this as an opportunity to get the biggest scoop in all of Ninjago. I didn't think about how it would hurt others, just about how it would benefit me. I'm sorry." She hung her head. How could have she been so stupid?

"Hey, it's fine. From what I've seen, that's what journalism is. Getting the biggest story." Earth paused. "But I've also seen journalism do incredible things, like motivate an entire city to defeat someone who thinks they control them, or warn people so that they can get out. Words are extremely powerful. But at the end of the day, it depends on the person who writes the words. You can be the journalist who disregards the wishes of others to get a big story, or you can be the journalist who crafts their words to help others. The question is, who do _you_ want to be?" And with that, Earth gave her a small smile and walked away, leaving her standing alone, processing what he had just said.

_Who do **you** want to be?_

»»————- ♦ ————-««


	3. William

It started when they first saw them.

From the minute William had laid eyes on the Ninja, he felt an eerie sense of familiarity creep over him. Everyone had realized that they were teenagers, but he wasn't sure why he felt that he knew them

Then the Green Ninja spoke.

His voices were startlingly familiar, but not enough to connect a name too. _Must be one of my students,_ William thought. _Maybe one of the quiet ones._ He was pretty good with the names of his students, but he had trouble remembering the names of the ones who didn't speak as much.

And so he tried ignored the uneasy feeling in his gut that _he knew these kids_. He gazed intently at the different rooms they were shown, and tried to learn more about the people he'd be staying with. _The girl seems pretty nosy_ , he noted as they were given a quick look at the Ninja's bedroom.

 _This is cool,_ William admitted to himself as he peered in. There were six bunks pushed up against the walls, each one with its own color coded bedding and shelving units above and below. There was a small bathroom in a corner and a few weapons were scattered here and there. In the back, there was a little desk and chair with papers fighting for room on the tiny tabletop. He chuckled inwardly at the sight. Even Ninja were horrible with being clean.

He was about to turn away when a certain paper caught his eye. Well, not the paper specifically, but the handwriting. As a teacher, he had spent countless hours grading assignments and reading over essays, but the handwriting he saw was achingly familiar. Like he _should_ know who wrote it, but didn't. He couldn't stop staring at the writing. He racked his brain, trying _so hard_ to connect this feeling to a face, a name, anything. But he came up blank. He distantly heard Earth telling them that their room would be practically the same, and right next door to the Ninjas. He followed the others in a daze towards their room, and started paying attention once more after he realized that he had zoned out.

"...Okay! So we'll let you settle in and unpack and whenever you're done, feel free to stop by the kitchen for food. Ice made dinner today, and I can say without a doubt that he's one of the best cooks in all of Ninjago."

And with a small smile, he left, leaving the others to do whatever they wanted in their little room. 

William decided that the nagging feeling could wait, and proceeded to unpack and meet his fellow roommates. He discovered that the lady was a mother of three, one of the men was a construction worker, another a police officer (which seemed sort of suspicious to him- didn't the police strongly dislike the vigilantes?), a teen fanboy and the nosy girl who looked shaken up was an aspiring journalist. They went to eat together, chatting and joking around while doing so. William put his uneasiness aside and joined in, and soon forgot his anxieties.

After a very filling dinner (he wholeheartedly agreed with Earth, that had been the best food his tongue ever tasted), they all headed back to their rooms. By now, William had forgotten about the handwriting and familiarity. He said good night to the others and climbed into bed. Now that he had time to think, he flipped through his memory, trying to connect the voice of the Green Ninja to someone he may know. Soon, his thoughts became fuzzy and his eyes grew unfocused as he started to slip into sleep. Then it hit him.

The handwriting on the desk belonged to Lloyd Garmadon.

»»————- ♦ ————-««

His previously drooping eyes snapped open as that thought repeated in his mind like a broken record.

_ThehandwritingonthedeskbelongedtoLloydGarmadon.Thehandwritingonthedeskbelongedto **LloydGarmadon.**_

It took him another minute to connect the dots further— the boy everyone teased, everyone _hated_ , all because of his parentage, was risking his life time after time to save the same unappreciative population. And- oh. _Oh._

He had to fight his _own father. Twice._

Lloyd never really tried to bring any attention to himself in class. Always quiet, never raised his hand or asked any questions. The only reason people knew his voice was thanks to overheard conversations with his small group of friends, all equally shunned due to their friendship. That's why it took him so long to recognize them. As a teacher, he spent hours grading each student's work, so recognizing handwriting was like recognizing someone's voice.

With his mind wrapped in a seemingly endless stream of thoughts, it took William a while to hear the quiet whimpers from the other side of the wall. The minute he did though, he froze. He immediately recalled that the room on the other side belonged to the Ninja and tried to remember who's bed lay on the opposite wall. After a minute of cursing his memory, he narrowed it down to either the Green Ninja— Lloyd— or the blue one. He heard the ninja on the other side of the wall toss and turn, muttering incoherently until they let out a loud gasp. William assumed that they had woken up as the heavy breathing on the other slowed down. He kept listening intently, only to be surprised by the creaking of a floorboard outside of their room.

 _Of course,_ he chuckled inwardly. _They're ninja for a reason._

And so he lay there in bed, debating what to do next. He could stay there and just fall asleep like everyone else, or he could go make sure whoever was on the other side was alright. He knew that by doing so, he may be overstepping his boundaries as a guest, and a teacher, but there was a parental part of him that felt obligated to go make sure they were alright. 

_After all, they are still kids,_ he reasoned with himself as he slowly tiptoed out of the room, trying not to wake any of his roommates. 

It wasn't until William made it into the hallway and closed the door that he realized he had no clue where to go. He guessed left and eventually found himself back on the deck, the Bounty now floating on the middle of the sea. The sun had already set, and you could see all the stars in the sky for once. He looked around, marveling at the view before spotting a boy with blond hair dressed in green pajamas, staring our at the ocean. William slowly approached the boy, now fully convinced that it was Lloyd.

"Hello?" he started, unsure how to begin. _How do you start a conversation with the most powerful protector of Ninjago in the middle of the night without seeming like a stalker?_

"Mr. Cooper!" Lloyd greeted with fake cheer. "I would turn around to greet you but I'm afraid I don't have my mask on me right now," he explained as he continued to stare into the distance. William chuckled at that.

"After years of teaching and hours of grading assignments, recognizing voices and handwriting is like second nature to me," he responded with a pause. He immediately saw Lloyd stiffen and something caught on fire a few feet away. He yelped and jumped back, but Lloyd only groaned and it promptly disappeared.

"I thought I _finally_ had that under control!" he whined under his breath. Then out loud, he said "Oh? Who do you think I am?"

William hesitated for a second before saying any names. Lloyd seemed to understand why he paused, and reassured, "No one else is here, Mr. Cooper. It would be hard to sneak past a team of ninja, especially those on high alert."

"Lloyd Garmadon."

In hindsight, he probably should have expected what happened next. All the lightbulbs surrounding them flickered and exploded with a loud pop.

"Oh, come on!" Lloyd yelled in frustration as he turned around. William took a step back in surprise because one, he was _right_ , and two, Lloyd was a _mess_. His eyes were unfocused with exhaustion, but wide as he evidently fought to stay awake. Bruises and bandages covered most of his open skin. He looked like he'd just fought a war.

 _Well, he did,_ he corrected himself internally as the boy mumbled something about "Wu killing him" under his breath. After a second, the Master of Energy was able to calm down and speak without freaking out.

"You cannot tell anyone. Not a single soul," he said with a firm voice, much different from the Lloyd William saw in school. That boy was shy and quiet, who barely said a word to defend himself. That boy curled in on himself and accepted all the insults thrown at him. This boy stood straight and strong, the fire in his eyes showing that no one would hurt him or anyone he protected.

"Of course," William reassured. "I understand what's at stake for you and the others."

They stood in an awkward silence for a while, staring out at the endless sea stretched out before them. Finally, Lloyd asked "What are you doing out here?"

"I heard someone having a nightmare in the room next to ours and wanted to make sure they were okay," William admitted.

He saw a flash of surprise cross the young boy's face. "Oh. Wow, thanks. Yeah, I'm good. The nightmares are regular for us, especially after a battle. I'm glad I didn't wake the others today, they need rest too." William didn't know what Lloyd was choosing to trust him with this, but he understood that he just needed someone to listen, to get the weight off his chest. So he nodded quietly as the boy rambled on.

"Most of the time, one of the others is awake and we kinda just chill, but I'm glad no one's awake now. They need to sleep."

"I'm going to take a wild guess and say that the 'others' are your friends at school?"

Lloyd sighed and gave a nod. "You cannot say a word. It would risk everything for us."

"Yes, yes, I understand," he reassured once again. "My only question is _why_? Why do you put your life on the line time and time again for people who treat you so horribly?" he exclaimed. The ninja stayed quiet for a moment before he responded.

"I don't see them as people who are just mean because of my parentage. I see them as people who suffer constant attacks on their safety, and need someone to blame just so they can have some semblance of control. And so I work to protect them. We all do. They're just people who want to live their lives in peace, and we're the only ones who can stop people who want to control others. We fight for the people. We fight for our families and friends, and those we've lost. We fight for our _home_. This is ours, and we won't let anyone take it." He said fiercely, full of passion. Then he yawned, "Maybe I should try and get some sleep. Good night, Mr. Cooper," as he left the deck, leaving the older man to take in his words.

_This is ours, and we won't let anyone take it._

»»————- ♦ ————-««


	4. Taio

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was such a fun chapter to write because I got to unleash my inner fangirl XD
> 
> Also this is only the 4th chapter and my Google Doc is already at 22 pages?? What??

"Hey, little guy. Time to get up," a voice whispered gently as someone shook Taio awake. He groaned and cuddled into his cocoon of blankets.

"Five more m'nutes, Mom," he grumbled as he shifted in the bed.

"Sorry sweetie, but you need to get up, the voice chided softly again. He blearily opened his eyes to see... not his room?

It took a second for Taio's brain to catch up, but when he did, he was wide awake. He shot up quickly, only to slam his head against the low ceiling of the bunk.

"Oww," he mumbled as he looked around. Everyone was already up, going through various stages of their morning routine. Mrs. Benson's kind face watched him as he rubbed his tired eyes.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," she chuckled.

"'Morning Mrs. Benson." he yawned back, "Thanks for waking me up."

"No problem," she reassured with a small smile. "Now, come on. Get to the bathroom before the hot water runs out!"

Taio quickly pulled himself out of bed and raced to the bathroom. (Sadly, they had used up all the hot water.) He emerged from the bathroom with a fresh face, already fanboying that oh my gosh he just had a shower on the fricking Bounty what is my life-

"Hi," someone called. He immediately froze mid-breakdown and looked around. He spotted the girl- Peggy. She wasn't looking up but was instead scribbling something into a small notebook.

"Hey," he called back awkwardly. Where do your social skills go when you need them?

"You're late," she said bluntly as she shut her notebook and tucked it into her pocket. She looked up at him and tilted her head, watching him curiously. "And you look like you're constipated."

"Wh _AT-_ "

"I'm kidding!" Peggy assured as she laughed at Taio's flustered face. "What's got you so riled up?"

"Um- how about the fact that we are on the freaKING DESTINY'S BOUNTY AND ARE STAYING WITH _THE NINJA oH mY gOsH-_ "

"Okay, okay!" Peggy interrupted mid screech. "I get it, you're excited! Jeez, no need to make my ears bleed!"

Taio chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry, it's just- wow, ya’ know? I still can't believe I'm here!"

"Yeah, it's pretty surreal, isn't it?" Peggy replied with a small smile. She got up from her bunk and sighed. "Well, I should get going. Don't wanna miss breakfast." She took a step, but then paused hesitantly and turned to face him once again. "Want me to wait for you?"

Taio gave her a grateful smile but shook his head. "That's fine, I still need some time and I don't want to keep you from food."With a quick wave, Peggy was out the door, leaving him to finish up.

»»————- ♦ ————-««

Taio was putting on his socks when he heard a crash from the room next door, followed by shuffling and a stream of incoherent mumbles. The same thing happened again when he was putting on his shoes. Worry and confusion led him to peek into the bedroom when he was done, to find a frazzled looking Blue Ninja rummaging frantically around his area. He was wearing regular clothes, just a blue sweatshirt with jeans, but had his ninja mask covering his face. The shelves of the bunk were left wide open and their contents littered the floor. The Ninja himself was pulling his bed apart, yanking the sheets off and lifting the mattress, all while murmuring "Where is it, where is it, where is it-" to himself.

Taio stood awkwardly in the doorway, shifting his weight from foot to foot as he watched the scene unfold before him. After a lot of internal debating, he finally worked up the courage to say “Hello?”

Unfortunately for him, it came out as a squeak that was lost in all the commotion. Blushing even more, he cleared his throat and tried again.

“Hello?”

It was still quiet, but hey, at least it didn’t sound like he was trying to speak mouse. Blue turned away from the mattress he was lifting up, freezing like a deer caught in headlights.

“Did I disturb you? I’m so sorry! I was just looking for my phone ‘cause I woke up at like three am and I couldn’t sleep so I was watching YouTube but then I fell asleep and I must have dropped it somewhere because now I can’t find it and-”

“Um, Mr. Blue Ninja sir, is that your phone?” Taio interrupted meekly as he pointed to a blue phone peeking out from underneath the bed.

“ _Haha! Yes!_ ” Blue cried jubilantly as he snatched the phone from it’s hiding spot. “Thank you so much, Taio! I probably would have wasted all morning looking for this thing!”

Taio just stood there, surprised. “You know my name?”

“Yeah! We know all your names. Took some time to memorize, but we got ‘em!” he replied cheerfully as he haphazardly shoved things back into their shelves. “And please, call me Blue, I’m not that much older than you.”

Taio didn’t reply, but instead started picking things up and handing them over, all the while screeching internally: _OHMYGOSHTHEYKNOWMYNAMEWHATTHEHECKWHATEVENISMYLIFEANYMOREBJHVGCFGDSWESDFGHGHUILJKHGFDRSEDFGHYUIOKJNHBGVFDSEADFGHB-_

So yeah. He was totally chill.

They finished putting everything back in their places in a few minutes and headed towards the kitchen for breakfast.

“What’s it like, being a ninja?” Taio asked hesitantly.

Blue scrunched his face in thought, then replied, “It’s interesting, I guess. You can’t really fit it into one word. Like having powers? It’s so incredibly _awesome_ that I sometimes can’t believe it. And we’ve got to see so many places and realms and meet so many cool people!

“But on the flip side, it gets scary,” he continued, eyes dark. “The things we’ve had to see, had to go through- you can’t forget them.” But just as quickly as it came, the haunted look left Blue’s face. “But it’s all definitely worth it for the people. As long as you’re all safe, we’re okay.”

After a pause, he added, “And the action figures are cool.”

Taio laughed in reply. “I have all of your action figures,” he admitted hesitantly. Did having all the action figures count as stalking?

“ _Really?_ Oh, that’s _so cool!!_ ”

Huh. Apparently not.

He gave a shy smile. “I brought some of them with me. I could show them to you later if you’d like?”

“ _Really?!_ ” he repeated incredulously. “Oh my gosh, that would be _amazing!!_ ”

The excitement in his voice made Taio smile as he felt the awkward awe in him ebb away. _These people are just like me,_ he realized.

They entered the dining room soon after, the delectable smell of Ice’s breakfast spread hitting them immediately. Everyone else was already there, digging into the delicious food. The other ninja were dressed similarly to blue, sporting regular clothes only contrasted by their masks. The two boys took the last two seats at the table, in between Peggy and the Master of Water. Blue leaned over and gave her a quick peck and sat down. Peggy and Taio glanced at each other, each with an eyebrow raised and a smirk on their face.

“So, you and Water?” Taio asked slyly, his grin spreading as Blue blushed. “I’m surprised the media doesn’t know about this!”

Blue gave a short laugh. “Yeah, we don’t really want to be in the tabloids. Too much attention.” Now it was his turn to smirk. “What about you?” he teased, grabbing some toast off of a plate. “Any _love interests_?”

“ _Me?_ ” Tai asked incredulously as he did the same. “I _wish!_ ”

He didn’t notice Blue stiffen next to him.

“I mean, I’m just that one geek, you know?” he continued.

Then he noticed the shaking.

He immediately stopped talking. “Blue? Hey, Blue? Are you okay?”

The Blue Ninja was trembling in his seat, eyes unfocused. He started mumbling incoherently as he gripped his head with his hands.

The commotion soon alerted everyone at the table, and they all turned their heads to see what was wrong. Immediately Water and Earth rushed to Blue’s side, whispering soothing words and rubbing his back. Taio backed away, giving them room to help the panicking boy when he, along with all the other guests, was quickly ushered out of the dining room by Green and Fire. Taio’s gut churned with confusion and worry as he silently followed them back to their shared bedroom.

“Please stay here until one of use comes and gets you,” Green said once they reached their destination. He continued speaking, but Taio was pulled aside by the Master of Fire. _Oh, what did I do?_ He worried to himself as they both sat down on the bunk farthest from the other people.

**[Let me clarify; when I said everyone remembers Skybound, I meant the team. Not the rest of the city, because that would be hard to work that out. Thanks!]**

“Hey,” Fire said kindly. “You’re not in trouble, don’t worry. I just wanted to know what was going on before Blue-”

“I’m so sorry! I don’t know what I did, one minute we were joking around and the next minute he started shaking and mumbling and-”

“Hey, Hey!” Fire said as his breakdown was interrupted (again). “You’re not in trouble! I just wanted to know what happened, that’s all.”

“O-okay,” Taio whispered as he took a deep breath. “We were just joking around and talking about our ‘love interests’ and he asked me if I liked anyone and I said ‘I wish’ and-”

“Ah,” Fire nodded. “That would have done it.”

Taio just blinked in response.

“The word wish. That must have set off his panic attack,’ Fire explained, seeing Taio’s confused look.

“Oh,” he replied, guilt washing over him. “Will he be okay?”

“Yeah, he’ll be fine,” Fire reassured him. “Don’t worry about it.”

And with that, they both rejoined the group, where Green was saying “Everything is okay, we just need you to stay here for a little bit, maybe an hour or so?” When he noticed that he and Fire were done, he quickly finished with a “Thank you for your cooperation!” and left, whispering hurriedly to Fire.

They all stood there for a minute and then retreated to their own corners. Taio tried to entertain himself, but only one thought kept repeating itself in his mind.

_What did I do?_

»»————- ♦ ————-««

The hour went by slowly, each minute feeling like it’s own eternity. When Water finally opened the door and told them that they’d be heading straight to their activity planned for today (cooking with Ice!), Taio was a minute away from exploding.

“Ms. Water Ninja Ma’am?” He started hesitantly.

“Please, call me Water,” she replied as she turned to face him.

“Uh, is Blue okay?” he asked quietly, worry and guilt clenching in his chest.

“Yes, he’s okay,” she replied warmly. Taio sighed in relief as the ball of nerves in his gut started to loosen.

“Do you want to talk to him?”

He didn’t hesitate as he nodded so quickly it was a miracle his head was still attached to his neck.

“Okay, follow me.”

»»————- ♦ ————-««

Water led him on the deck and with a small smile, left. Blue was standing a short distance away staring down at the waves gently lapping in the ocean below. Taio approached quietly but jumped when the older boy turned and spoke.

“Hey, Taio!” he said with a smile, all traces of that morning gone.

“Hey?” Taio replied warily. “Are- Are you okay?”

“Yeah!” he replied cheerily.

He turned back towards the water, and Taio joined him. They stood in silence until Blue said “Shouldn’t you be with the others?”

“Yeah,” Taio agreed. “But I wanted to make sure you were okay. _Are_ you okay? One minute we’re joking, and the next you’re- you’re doing whatever happened there!”

“I’m fine now, I promise,” Blue reassured him but didn’t say anything else.

“You guys are so brave, to do what you do,” Taio started, trying to break the awkward silence. “I mean, I could never imagine having to face some of the tings you guys have had to fight.”

Blue chuckled lightly. “Really, it’s not that big of a deal. Anyone could have these powers and wear these gis. All you need is some courage and a whole lot of stubbornness.” He paused, saying, “Is that even a word?”

Taio smiled. “Come on! After last night, I’m eager to learn how Ice does it!”

“Yeah! He refuses to teach us because he’s convinced that we’ll ‘burn the Bounty to the ground’ and I mean, we’re not that bad at cooking, right? Well there was this one time-”

Yep. Things were okay now.

»»————- ♦ ————-««


	5. Dalton

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dalton goes digging and everything goes to crap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just as a quick warning before we start: This character and his occupation were created before any of the controversial current events today occurred. None of the below is establishing an opinion on said controversial events. This character was designed to expand different ideas and relationships with the rest of the characters and storyline. Please keep that in mind.

Dalton swore under his breath as the floor squeaked under his feet. Glancing around, he threw himself behind a wall, just hopping out of sight as a blond boy slipped out of the Ninja’s room. He held his breath as his heart pounded, but fortunately, the boy had been too distressed to notice his presence. He kept watching as William Cooper slipped out the room next door, heading in the same direction the boy went. Dalton took a quiet breath and went over the information he already knew.

That morning during the tour, they were told to stay away from a section of the ship.

“What’s in there?” the nosy girl- Peggy- had asked.

“Our stuff,” was all the response they had gotten.

And so Dalton found himself trying to sneak out to the secret hallway in the middle of the night. At least, he was, until he saw Green and Cooper leave the bedrooms. With them moving around, there was a higher chance he’d get caught. He sighed as he realized that he had no other choice but to head back.

Dalton crept back into their shared room and climbed into his bed. He felt a stab of guilt as his thoughts wandered. He was invading these kids’ privacy, after all, but quickly pushed the feeling down. These people have unparalleled power, and Ninjago needed to learn more about them. It was for the safety of the city.

The last thought that crossed his mind before he fell asleep was _Too bad I couldn’t see the blond one’s face._

»»————- ♦ ————-««

Dalton breathed a sigh of relief as he walked away from the kitchen. He had snuck away under the pretense of using the restroom, enabling him to do the job he had come here to do. He quietly retraced his steps to the hallway, hoping to find something on the mysterious elementals.

As Dalton approached a door, he pulled out a paperclip and unbent it, then used it to fiddle with the lock until it clicked open. With one last look around his surroundings, he twisted the doorknob and pushed.

He didn’t know what he’d expected— clothes or whatever teenagers use nowadays, maybe stuffed animals. Instead, he was met with piles of boxes, separated by the colors of the people who lived on board. They looked hand-painted, with no detail or color exactly the same as another. Some of them were coated with a layer of dust, their colors faded while some were bright and evidently brand new, sitting towards the front.

Curiosity piqued, Dalton approached the closest box, a light grey one with little water drops covering it. He crouched down and pulled it open, slightly excited. It was fairly empty, only filled halfway. The first thing he saw was a light blue and grey jumpsuit-like gi, filled with rips and tears, bloodied and battle-worn. Underneath it were more gis, all in a similar state, though the 3 were maroon and blue instead. Surrounding them were a few odds and ends like tools or scraps of paper.

Dalton determined that nothing he’d seen so far was worth noting and was about to close the box when he saw a flash of paper tucked into a corner. Curious, he reached in and pulled out a hidden stack of photos. There were a handful, the paper soft and weathered from being held again and again.

The first one showed a boy and a girl at what looked like Mega Monster Amusement Park. The boy, light-skinned with a head full of unruly auburn hair and a face sprinkled with freckles, was pressing his lips against the girl’s cheek. The girl had short black hair styled into a bob cut, her eyes closed as she giggled, a blush rising on her face.

The same girl from the first one was depicted hugging a boy who looked similar to her except for being slightly taller and having spiky brown hair, along with a scar over his eye. _The girl’s hair is longer in this one,_ Dalton noted as he examined it. He checked his watch and decided that it would be suspicious if he stayed longer, he pulled out his phone and snapped a photo of the two pictures he had seen and tucked everything back in the way he found them. He quietly crept out the door and made his way back, letting out a sigh of relief. That had gone better than he had anticipated, and he was grateful. He turned a corner, making plans to return to the room sometime later-

-Only to run into the Red Ninja.

Dalton stumbled to the ground upon impact, but the other boy only stepped back to regain his balance.

“You alright, Mr. Pickett?” he asked as he lent the man a hand. Dalton took it and pulled himself up with a grunt, dusting himself off quickly. Before he had a chance to answer the question, Red’s eyes narrowed.

“Hey, you left to go to the bathroom,” he stated. Dalton nodded, keeping the calm façade up despite the stab of worry he felt.

“Yes, it was slightly hard to find, but I’m heading back right now.”

Red’s eyes narrowed even further if that was even possible. “The bathroom is on the other side of the ship.”

Dalton only let himself feel a moment of panic before replying swiftly, “I did get a little lost on my way back…”

He could see the gears turning in Red’s mind. He was given directions on his way out, and they all had explicitly been shown where the important rooms were the previous day. And even if he did somehow manage to get himself lost, he wasn’t supposed to be in this hallway. His (very poorly formed) excuse had only dug himself deeper.

The boy’s eyes were fiery as he stepped forward menacingly. Dalton could swear the temperature in the room rose a few degrees.

“Listen, mister. I don’t know who you think you are, but this is my _family,_ and if you mess with us, we’re plenty capable of retaliation. So watch it,” he growled and led him back to the kitchen.

Red’s fingers dug into his arm as he pulled him back towards the kitchen, and Dalton pretended not to notice the glares thrown his way. Thankfully, they arrived at their destination quickly, and with one last glare, Red left him and walked over to Water and threw his arm over her shoulder, eyes crinkling like he was smiling.

Dalton slid back into his chair and gave the other men a quick smile. He watched Sierra and Ice guide the kids through cooking- and he did count the Ninja as kids, as Red’s outburst had proven. Unknowingly, the boy had given him a perfect example of why they couldn’t be trusted. Yes, they had pulled off quite a few heroics in the past, Dalton knew that they couldn’t be trusted. Although he had to give it to them; excluding this morning’s ‘incident,’ everything had been going fairly smoothly.

And so it was fitting when all of a sudden, the lights blinked before sputtering out completely.

Everyone let out cries of surprise, blinking to adjust to the sudden darkness. Within a second, a ball of flame erupted from Red’s hand, flames dancing along his palm while Green summoned a ball of energy, and Blue’s hands glowed softly, bathing the room in eerie shades of orange, green, and blue. It took a minute for his eyes to adjust, but by the time Dalton could see again, Green, Red, and Earth were cautiously approaching the doorway, weapons in hand while Blue, Water, and Ice were trying to get the rest of them to quiet down, urgency seeping into their expressions. The rest of them were pushed towards the back of the room as Blue, Water, and Ice placed themselves in front as they stood, ready to strike.

Dalton pushed Peggy and Taio behind him as he fingered the gun tucked in his waistband. He still didn’t trust their hosts, but everything in the air screamed ‘danger’. They all stood still, the silence only interrupted by soft breathing and the creaking of a tired ship.

Suddenly, the room exploded into a flurry of motion as people dressed in black appeared seemingly out of nowhere. There were six people, who had their own collection of weapons ranging from katanas to guns, all trained on the six elemental masters. Dalton swiftly pulled his own gun out as he shifted his aim from each of the intruders. He took note of their masked faces, hidden under biker helmets. They were all dressed in various shades of black, outfits almost completely different from each other except for the pink and blue decals. Sons of Garmadon, Dalton thought distantly as they slowly stepped forward.

The intruders eyed them for a second before launching towards the Ninja. They surged forward with equal force, meeting the intruders in the middle. Both sides flipped and kicked, dodging and parrying with practiced grace and ease as the clangs of metal hitting metal rang through the air. Dalton instinctively took a step back as he swiveled around, trying to make sense of the situation. He saw Sierra pull the two kids close out of the corner of his eye as he stepped in front of them protectively, only to be shoved roughly into the corner by Blue.

“Get back!” he yelled as he locked his nunchaku around a sword (I was almost impaled by that sword, Dalton thought hysterically) before channeling his power through the metal, electrocuting the person in the other end who promptly collapsed. Blue turned around and pulled Dalton up from where he had landed.

“Hey, you look like you’ve got fighting experience,” he panted, gesturing to the weapon in Dalton's hand quickly before whirling around, blocking a fist heading towards him before kicking the biker away. He turned back around before continuing, “If we can clear a path for you, can you get the others out?”

“Yes,” Dalton nodded, all previous distrust gone, if only temporarily.

“Good,” Blue replied. “Get back to your bedroom, and pull the large stick thing down so it barricades the door. Do not open the door until one of us comes to get you,” he stressed before jumping back into battle.

Dalton turned around to face the others. Sierra was on the ground, clutching Taio and Peggy close and whispering softly to them while William and Luis stood over them, trying to shield them as much as possible.

"Alright, listen up," Dalton said with a voice he hoped was calm yet confident. “Blue said that the Ninja would try to clear a path for us to get out. Luis, I want you to take the front. William and Sierra, stay with Taio and Peggy. Stay together and move as fast as you can," he ordered. He scanned the room, noting how the Ninja were slowly drawing the bikers to the edges of the room, leaving a small path for them to get to the door.

“Go!” Dalton yelled as he pushed the others forward, trying to make his voice heard over the fight. Luis leaped forward, pulling William and Taio with him as they squeezed between people. Dalton pulled Sierra and Peggy up before pushing them towards the door. He followed as they ran, shifting his gun’s aim as they made their way towards the center of the fight.

Dalton had to resist the urge to cover his ears as they got closer to the center, the volume becoming almost unbearable. The air was filled with battle cries and the clang of metal meeting metal as both sides fought fiercely. They jumped and ducked under stray arms and legs as the door got closer and closer. He let out a breath of relief when he saw Luis, William, and Taio reach the door before they sprinted away.

And then Peggy fell.

Dalton immediately reached down to pull her back to her feet and shoved her towards Sierra, pushing them roughly towards the door, not daring to look back until they finally, finally reached the door.

“Go! Get to the room!” he shouted as the two girls sprinted down the hallway.

the glint of metal, getting closer and closer.

A flash of red, pushing him to the side roughly.

Cries of anguish as Ice quickly froze the intruders and the Ninja gathered around their teammate.

Red, lying on the floor, a knife buried in his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mwuhe he he
> 
> check out my discord for updates, future fics, and spoilers!
> 
> https://discord.gg/DvMqmG7JDu


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